The Small Sad Dreams Of Elon Musk
Far from being a visionary, Musk has no imagination at all
It’s a truism that most people will believe whatever you tell them regardless of its plausibility. Millions of simple-minded dupes voted for Trump thanks to a couple of soundbites they could chant happily while waving little US flags (made in China). Their equivalents in the UK flushed that nation down the toilet of Brexit in exchange for two equally mindless soundbites. So it’s not really surprising that a significant number of tech fanboys should imagine, as per his endless self-promoting PR campaign, that Elon Musk is a highly intelligent visionary who wants to save the planet.
According to Musk’s hyperactive PR company, he’s dedicating his life to saving the planet (except when he’s flying in his private jet). Tesla cars are somehow “better” for the environment than conventional vehicles. SpaceX will take humanity to Mars so the species will live on after some implausible global catastrophe. Everyone on Earth (for so long as it lasts…) will be connected to the Internet thanks to Starlink. Blah blah blah blah….
When we actually bother to look at the reality, however, the picture is much smaller and much sadder. It’s striking how Musk’s overhyped ventures are (a) not actually profitable, and (b) not actually doing what Musk claims — and…
